The Starlight Lancer

Chapter 114: Home At Last

"To return home after so long adrift is nearly unthinkable."

—Tanahal Izan Frostet, famed explorer, after being rescued from the disastrous Kaytahan Expedition

Zaina woke with a start, sitting up on the cozy couch against the cabin wall—Xyrthe's ship had lurched.

Are we there?

She hobbled to one of the hyper-glass panels lining the wall, still nursing a broken leg from her fight with Sivanya, the leader of a marked enclave. There it was, in plain sight—Kaado, a planet snapped in half.

Zaina limped into the cockpit, where her mentor, Xyrthe, was in the process of manually flying the ship.

"Finally awake?" Xyrthe asked, not even looking toward Zaina.

"Yeah. How long were we in the void?"

"Only about an hour. Took a bad skip."

Zaina nodded. "Can I ask a question?"

"If you want to annoy me, sure."

"Why is Kaado like that?"

Xyrthe shrugged. "Ancient history's not my strong suit, kid. Ask a scholar."

"I don't think any of them would want to talk to me," Zaina replied. Then again, Geli Fawndar, one of the Scholar Supremas, had been kind to her—but she was probably too busy to answer non-urgent questions.

"Well," Xyrthe said, her voice a little more aggressive, "let's leave it at being one of life's great mysteries then, hmm?"

Zaina plopped down in the co-pilot's chair and watched as Xyrthe brought them in.

"So, what are you going to do with a whole week off?"

Xyrthe was adjusting dials and pushing buttons. "That's for me and my boyfriend to know."

"I'm guessing I won't see much of you, then."

"That's the hope."

"I don't even know what I'm going to do."

"Whatever it is, make sure it involves resting your leg."

Zaina smiled. "Aww, is that your way of saying you care about me?"

Xyrthe shook her head. "You know, believe it or not, but after spending a few months cramped in with you wherever I go, I'm looking forward to not having to deal with your dumb fucking questions."

Zaina rolled her eyes.

"What, you got any more? Get 'em out of the way now, because once we touch ground you're not gonna see me for a while."

"No, hint taken." Zaina had nothing she wanted to say at that point—truth be told, the thought of a week or two away from Xyrthe didn't sound too bad.

At least no one will be bringing me down with constant negativity.

Xyrthe maneuvered the ship inside Kaado's hollow crust and touched down on Navport Three, a wide and flat island suspended in the air by grav-engines—the main landing spot for lancers, as Zaina had learned. Kaado also had two cargo Navports floating somewhere around the crust's exterior, but most lancers never saw those.

A twinge of excitement sparked to life within Zaina. Maybe this was her chance to explore Kaado, her home for the next ten years. It also gave her ample time to work on her magick, which was still budding.

I just have to keep trying.

Xyrthe brought the ship down with expert efficiency. The landing gear had barely touched the ground when she stormed out of the cockpit, returning moments later with the hover-bed they'd commandeered from Vyzria.